1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrical safety devices and more particularly to a safety protection device for use within the interior of an electrical circuit panel box. The safety device of the present invention allows a user to drill holes through a wall of an electrical panel box while simultaneously isolating himself and his drilling equipment from contact with any of the internals within the box, especially if the panel box is “live.” The present invention also collects all of the metallic dust and particulate matter that is generated during drilling, thereby preventing possible arching, flashing, short circuits, fires and explosions.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
It is well known that when drilling any material, the dust and particulate debris from the drilling operation becomes scattered over the article being drilled, the person doing the drilling, and the work site itself. Considering the numerous applications, situations, and special environments where drilling operations must be performed, the problem of controlling the dust and particulate debris can become particularly acute, especially in applications where drilling is performed within or near commercial electrical panel boxes, switchgear cabinets and circuit relay cabinets. The same can also be said to be true when drilling residential electrical panel boxes.
In commercial electrical applications, the scattering of metallic particulate debris that results from drilling metal cabinets, panel boxes and such is a serious problem. The metallic particulate waste that is generated during is usually made up of fine and course metallic dust and larger shavings that easily scatters and penetrates the most hidden places. If a circuit panel box or other type of electrical panel or cabinet must be drilled when the electrical equipment is still “live,” the metallic particulate debris can contact a “live” wire or other components, thereby causing a short circuit, arcing, flashing or possibly a fire or explosion. Therefore, careful and meticulous clean up of the particulate waste matter is imperative in order to preventing these possibilities. In “live” situations, cleaning becomes even more problematic because only non-conductive tools can be used. Even when the electrical equipment to be drilled has been locked out and the power is off, controlling the metallic particulate matter is still a major concern because the dust and particulate can penetrate hidden places where clean up would be impossible. In those situations, returning the circuit panel box or electrical cabinets to the “live” condition could nevertheless result with the metallic waste matter causing the same above-mentioned problems.
Another problem that also arises while drilling electrical panel boxes and/or electrical cabinets is that as the electrician drills from his position outside the box, the drill bit will have a tendency to lunge forward in the drilling direction as the bit penetrates through the surface being drilled. Thus, there is a possibility that the drill bit can contact and destroy any of the components or wiring within the panel box or cabinetry. Furthermore, if the drilling is performed without the power being shut off, the operator of the drill can touch “live” wires or components with the drill bit, leading to electrical shock. In commercial applications, the voltages within such panels and/or cabinets are substantially higher than residential applications. Therefore, electrical shock in commercial settings usually leads to serious injury or death.
What is needed is a portable and reusable safety device for use within the interior of the electrical panel box and/or cabinet which can shield and protect against metal-to-metal contact between the drill bit and any live components during drilling and which simultaneously catches all of the metallic dust and particulate waste matter that is generated during drilling.
To date, there have been many prior art debris catching devices for use with portable electrical drills, as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,984 to Cuevas. But these prior art devices are not readily adaptable to the specific application for use within electrical circuit panel boxes and/or electrical cabinets where the electrician must drill from outside the panel box or cabinet while the metallic waste falls inside. Furthermore, no known safety device exists which can be removably attached to the inside of such panels boxes or cabinets for catching metallic debris and for protecting the drilling operator against electrical shock should contact be made between the end of the drill bit and the live wires or other components within the panel or cabinet. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,217,006 to Muller, a device for use within a circuit panel box was presented for allowing an electrician determine when a fish tape has reached the electrical panel box after being fed from an outlet box. This device and the debris catching devices do not offer the portability, flexibility and inventive features of the present electrical safety device. As will be described in greater detail hereinafter, the safety device of the present invention differs from those previously described.